I admit that as summer approaches, my motivation for writing blogs diminishes, but it’s my way, as an introvert, to try to remain connected to sapphic readers. So…I force myself to write them every Friday. It makes my day when someone makes a comment or even gives me a like. A little while ago, I came across this article from another introvert that definitely piqued my interest. The writer had struggled for years to make friends and connect with people. For her, networking was frightening. I could relate. Then she came up with a brilliant idea. It was brilliant because it was a creative perspective on something many of us have already tried and maybe even failed at…a book club!

A book club has always sounded good to me, but I’ve never joined. Why? Well, for all the reasons that make many book clubs fail. I’m sure some of you can guess the reasons:

It can practically take an act of Congress to get everyone to agree on a book to read.
Finding a date and time, not to mention a location, well, you may as well admit defeat before even making a suggestion.
Then, if you manage to find a date, time, and location, folks who say they’ll come don’t.
My OCD would not allow me to come to the book club without actually reading the chosen book, but not everyone has OCD or even cares to follow the guidelines.

So what was the answer? She decided to start a book club, but with a twist. People could meet at a local venue, no pressure, no RSVP required, and they could bring whatever book they were already reading. Frickin’ brilliant. Then the only requirement was to do a kind of “show-and-tell” condensed summary of the book. She also asked them to read the first line in their book. Before long, her book club grew, and what started as a small group blossomed into two dozen people showing up at her house when she hosted. Connections were made, and the club was truly the best kind of networking — a party without the uncomfortable small talk or the expectation to mingle.

I suppose all the sapphic Facebook groups sort of do this, and people do make friends, but I love the idea of folks actually meeting up and providing this wonderful opportunity for all the introverts who love to read, because let’s be real, that’s an introvert’s perfect way to relax! At least it’s this introvert’s perfect way to relax. Feel free to steal this idea, I’m sure the author of that article won’t mind. And, of course, I would love for any of you to choose one of my books to bring to the book club and share with others. Sapphic fiction needs all the help it can get. Click on the links below to choose one of those books!